


Birthday Blues

by Anonymous



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Author doesn't know a thing about makeup, Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, Boys in Skirts, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Light Angst, Platonic Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Platonic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Sides As Family (Sanders Sides), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:47:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29197092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Janus groaned as his alarm went off, smacking at the bedside table, missing his clock more times than he'd like to admit, before finally pressing the dismiss button. He sat up and stretched, smile tugging at his lips involuntarily.His first birthday since he'd made up with Virgil.-Janus wakes up on his birthday in a good mood. Nothing could ruin his day!(Spoilers: there was something)Seriously, it's not as bad as the summary sounds
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52
Collections: Anonymous





	Birthday Blues

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, I just found out it was Janus' birthday yesterday, and binge wrote this fic. Let's all pretend that I totally got this out on time... 
> 
> Warnings:  
> \- light angst  
> \- crying   
> \- mention of an argument 
> 
> Nothing else springs to mind, but if I've missed anything, let me know. 
> 
> Happy birthday Janus! My favourite snek boi!! 🐍
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy my painfully cliché birthday fic!

Janus groaned as his alarm went off, smacking at the bedside table, missing his clock more times than he'd like to admit, before finally pressing the dismiss button. He sat up and stretched, smile tugging at his lips involuntarily.  
  
His first birthday since he'd made up with Virgil.  
  
He slipped out of bed, shivering at the cold - the Subconscious was always freezing, for some reason - and stood in front of his closet, sifting through the various outfits inside. His fingers lingered momentarily on his usual outfit, before he pushed past it, selecting a black skirt, yellow sweater and black combat boots to go with his signature yellow gloves instead. It was his birthday, after all.  
  
He pulled the jumper over his head, then tugged the skirt on, admiring himself in the mirror on the closet door. For once in his life, the person who stared back was someone who Janus loved.  
  
A little black box caught his eye in the reflection, and a smile slowly spread across his face. He hadn't done any makeup in a long time; he and Virgil always used to do it together. After several moments of deliberation, he sat down at his vanity, opening the box and pulling out various items; foundation, black eyeliner, gold and black eyeshadow, highlighter and contour. They matched the colours of his clothes, but were more extravagant than anything Janus had ever dared wear outside of his room. Extra was more the Duke's territory.  
  
Oh well. It was his birthday. Go big or go home, right?  
  
Janus shuddered as the thought crossed his mind. Maybe he should stop spending so much time around Roman...  
  
Regardless, Janus pumped foundation onto the back of his hand and used it liberally, to even out his skin tone. Thankfully, there was no need for concealer; his face masks took care of most major blemishes.  
Next, he applied highlighter and contour to accentuate his, already fairly sharp, cheekbones and nose. He raised an eyebrow at his reflection, laughing to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he loved himself this much. Couldn't remember the last time he felt so... happy.  
  
He leaned forward until his nose nearly touched the mirror, blending together the black and gold shadows on his human eyelid to create a smokey effect. Not even the puffiness of his snake eye was ruining his day today! He forwent the use of mascara, his lashes were perfect as they were.  
  
He held his breath as he brought the eyeliner brush closer to his eye. Virgil had always been the better one of them both at eyeliner, considering his obsession with his emo aesthetic. But Janus always had an advantage, in Virgil's own words; he only ever had to do one eye.  
  
Didn't make drawing it any less stressful, though.  
  
Fortunately, the universe wasn't looking to fight him today, and he pulled off a decent wing first try. He walked (absolutely did _not_ twirl) out of his room, calling down the hallway as he did.  
  
"Dukey!"   
  
No answer.  
  
Huh. That was weird. The Duke was always awake before him, usually concocting something horrible in the kitchen. Janus tried not to be too deterred, calling again.  
  
"Remus!"  
  
He rounded the corner, kitchen in sight, when he spotted a note on the coffee table.  
  
Ah. From Remus, presumably.  
  
He picked it up, grimacing at the various mystery substances it was stained with. Sure enough, aside from the stains, was Remus' scrawl.  
  
_'Hey, Janny. Ro wanted to do something in the Imagination with me, so I'm gonna be gone all day. Don't have too much fun without me~'_

The note was signed off with a kiss in black lipstick.   
  
Janus blinked, re-reading it over and over, as if that would change what was written. Spoilers: it didn't.

He shut his eyes, drew in a deep breath, and pretended that didn't sting nearly as much as it did. He was being unsupportive. Really, he should be happy that Remus was repairing his relationship with his brother. The two had spent far too much time apart, and deserved the quality sibling time. It was fine.

It was fine.  
  
(It was not.)  
  
Janus blinked away the tears gathering in his eyes, and walked upstairs. He had some new friends (and one old-new friend) now, after all. He could just spend time with them until Remus got back.  
  
Tomorrow.  
  
Shaking his head to disperse the bitter thoughts, Janus headed to the indigo door down the hallway. Maybe Logan was up for a game of chess? He knocked and waited for an answer.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Janus nudged the door ajar, and poked his head in cautiously. Logan was sitting at his desk, halfway through a stack of paperwork, if the pen in his hands and the pile of official-looking papers was anything to go by. He gave the Logical Side one of his suave grins.  
  
"Hello, Logan. Up for losing another chess game?"  
  
Logan's face tinged red.  
"That was _one_ time," he mumbled, before taking a moment to regain his composure. "You may come in, Janus. You don't have to stand by the door."  
  
Anxiety curled in Janus' chest. What if Logan hated his outfit? What if Logan laughed at him? What if Logan told the others and they laughed too? What if-  
  
"Janus?"  
  
Right. Yeah.  
  
Janus stepped in gingerly, shutting the door behind him. Instantly, Logan's eyes scanned him. The Side nodded, after a moment.  
  
"That is... an outfit."  
  
Despite his apprehension, a smile tugged at Janus' lips.  
"I didn't take you as one for stating the obvious, Logan."  
  
The Logical Side floundered for a moment, and Janus' smile widened into a grin. It was too easy sometimes to catch Logan off guard.  
  
Logan cleared his throat, adjusting his tie.  
"Now, what was this about a chess game?"  
  
Janus waved his hand, summoning one of his most prized possessions; a glass chess set.  
  
"I asked if you were ready to lose."  
  
Logan smirked, standing up, when his eyes flicked to his desk, though it wasn't at the paperwork, Janus noted absently, but something behind it. The look dropped off his face abruptly, and he sat back down.  
  
"Apologies, Janus," he said, tone apologetic. "Thomas really needs this schedule finished and-"  
  
"It's fine," Janus cut him off, unable to hear anymore of the excuse without shedding tears. "I understand. Work is important, right?"  
  
The familiar heavy feeling had returned to his chest, and he reluctantly turned his back, dismissing the chess board with a wave of his hand.  
  
"Maybe we can play some other time."  
  
He walked off, without waiting to hear Logan's response.  
  
-  
  
Janus headed to Virgil's room next. Their friendship was still a little strained, yes, but nothing of that magnitude could be fixed with just a few words and an awkward embrace. They'd both been in the wrong, and now they were learning to trust each other again. Janus was just thankful he'd gotten his old friend back.  
  
He knocked on the purple door.  
"Virgil, you better be decent."  
  
He didn't wait for answer - he wasn't expecting to get one. Virgil spent nearly all of his time with headphones in, and never heard anyone knock anyway.  
  
Sure enough, Virgil was lying on his bed, headphones on and scrolling on his phone, probably on Tumblr again. What he found interesting about that app, Janus really didn't know.  
  
He came to sit by Virgil head, scaring the Side. He pulled off his headphones, and sat up, looking Janus up and down.  
  
"Snazzy makeup, Jan. Gonna give Princey a run for his money if you're not careful."  
  
Janus smiled, smoothing out his skirt self consciously. Virgil's gaze followed his hands, and he made a vaguely surprised noise.  
  
"Haven't seen that in a while," Janus' nerves must have shown on his face, because Virgil's face softened. "You look good, Jan. Real pretty."  
  
Janus fixed his eyes on his lap at that, avoiding eye contact.  
"Thank you," he whispered shyly.  
  
Virgil grinned, laying his head on Janus' shoulder. Janus' cheek came to rest atop his head. They sat there in silence, breaths in tandem. Janus was suddenly reminded of how much he missed Virgil, when they had fought.  
  
"I missed this, you know," he said, voicing his thoughts.  
  
Virgil shifted to look at him.  
"Hmm?"  
  
"This. Just sitting here with you. Don't get me wrong, I love Remus, I do, but sometimes I just need some..."  
  
"Calmer company?" Virgil supplied with a grin. Janus nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry, Jan."

Janus sucked in a sharp breath. Virgil stiffened, moving to sit up properly, but Janus hastily placed a hand on his head, keeping it there. He couldn't look Virgil in the eye, not just yet. The silence was suffocating.  
  
"I'm sorry too, Virgil," he said, finally.  
  
Virgil didn't verbally reply to that, but cold, spidery fingers laced themselves with Janus'. The Side glanced down at them, grimacing.  
  
"When was the last time you did your nails?"  
  
Virgil shrugged noncommittally.  
"Dunno. Like, a month ago?"  
  
Janus gasped, scandalized.  
" _Virgil Sanders_! A month? You've really let yourself go."  
  
He pulled their entangled fingers toward him, summoning his extensive nail polish collection with his free hand, intent on making Virgil pick a colour that _wasn't_ black this time. He rummaged through them.  
  
"Hmm, what about this blue?"  
  
"Nope, too Patton."  
  
"Green?"  
  
"Do I look like Remus?"  
  
"...fair point. Red?"  
  
"Too mainstream."  
  
"This is a nice gold."  
  
"You're clearly biased."  
  
"Fine. Purple?"  
  
"Sure. You gotta alternate with black, though."  
  
Janus mulled it over, inspecting the shade of purple in his hand.

"Ok, fine. That works."

Just as he went to unscrew the lid with one hand, Virgil's phone buzzed, startling them both. The Anxious Side untangled his fingers from Janus' to pick it up, and Janus found himself missing the contact. He watched as Virgil's relaxed expression morphed into something frustratingly unreadable. Finally, the Side put his phone down, only to send Janus an apologetic look, far too reminiscent of the one Logan had given him earlier.  
  
"Sorry Jan, rain check? Princey and Rem have managed to get themselves cornered by the Dragon Witch again and Rem's just sent me an SOS message."  
  
Janus waved him off, trying to hide his hurt expression.  
"It's fine, Virgil. We can always reschedule. You go and save the two idiots."  
  
Virgil nodded, still looking vaguely guilty. He offered Janus a hand, after standing up.  
  
"C'mon. It's best you got outta here as well. Stay any longer and my room will ruin your makeup look. And I want pictures of that later."  
  
Janus took Virgil's hand, after a beat of hesitation. He hauled himself up, then followed Virgil out of his room. Virgil paused by his door as they were about to part ways, something close to regret in his eyes. Quick as a flash, he leaned over, giving Janus a tight hug he barely had time to reciprocate, before pulling away. He gave Janus a two fingered salute.  
  
"I'll be seeing you, then."  
  
He was gone before Janus could ask what the hug was for.  
  
-  
  
Well, only one more Side to go.  
  
The Lights, they couldn't have... _forgotten_ , right? They knew when Janus' birthday was, he knew they did. Roman had told him that it, along with his own birthday were the days were Virgil was mopiest, before he and Remus had been accepted.  
  
And Remus, the Duke had never forgotten his birthday, ever. Every year, without fail, he showed up, bright and early at Janus' door to wish him, and didn't leave his side the whole day.  
  
_But there was a first time for everything_ , a traitorous part of Janus' mind whispered.  
  
He pushed the thought away, and followed the sound of humming down the hallway, until he reached the Commons. There, he spotted Patton, puttering around in the kitchen. He leaned against the door frame, watching the Moral Side.  
  
Eventually Patton turned in his direction, squeaking when he noticed Janus' presence. He pushed something out of Janus' line of sight, and Janus didn't care to see what it was.  
  
"H-hi, Janus!"  
  
"Hello, Patton," Janus replied in amusement. "And what might you be doing?"

Patton calmed down, giving Janus a more serene smile.  
"Just cooking for you kiddos, you know? Sustenance, and all that!"  
  
Before Janus could respond to that, Patton blinked, as if suddenly noticing his change of outfit.  
  
"Well, don't you just look stunning!" He gushed.  
  
Janus blushed, cursing himself for being so easily flustered. Patton cooed.  
  
"Would you give me a twirl, sweetheart?"  
  
The right side of Janus' face was on fire, he was sure, but he did as the Side requested, spinning shyly and letting his skirt flare out. Patton clapped his hands in delight.  
  
"How precious!"  
  
Janus grinned bashfully, pressing a hand to his warm face to try and calm it down.  
  
"What's the occasion?"  
  
The world stopped.  
  
What?  
  
Janus removed his hand from his face to get a better look at Patton. The smile on the Side's face wasn't sarcastic or teasing, as he'd hoped, but one hundred percent genuine. Patton really had no clue. He forced down the sadness, returning Patton's smile.  
  
"I-it, uh-" he couldn't do this. Tears pricked his eyes, and the lump forming in his throat forbade him from swallowing. The smile fell from Patton's face.  
  
"Janus, kiddo? You ok?"  
  
Janus nodded.  
"Yes, I-I just-"  
  
He'd told many lies in his life, of course he had. He was Deceit, it was his job. So, why he had so much difficulty forcing the words out of his mouth was lost on him.  
  
"-n-nothing..."  
  
He sunk out, unable to look at Patton's face any longer.  
  
-  
  
Janus rose up in his room. Tears gathered in his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day (probably because it was), and he let them run. No one was going to come anyway, there was no need to preserve the makeup.  
  
He slammed his door shut, and flopped face-first onto the bed unceremoniously, sobbing. His duvet grew damp with tears.  
  
They'd forgotten. They'd forgotten, all five of them. Well, why would they remember? He was just a stupid Dark Side anyway, he wasn't important.  
  
_They remembered Remus' birthday_ , his mind chimed, in a desperate attempt to preserve his tattered self-esteem.  
  
Janus chuckled bitterly to himself. He was such a liar that he was beginning to lie to himself now.  
  
They remembered Remus' birthday because it was the same day as Roman's. The only reason they knew his birthday was because Virgil sulked more than usual, and now they were all friends, so what was stopping February third from just being any other day?  
  
Nothing.  
  
Janus curled up, fisting his sheets in his hands. They were going to stain, he knew, but he couldn't bring himself to care.  
  
They'd all forgotten. Even Remus.  
  
-  
  
"I ruined it!" Patton cried.  
  
Virgil patted his back awkwardly.  
"It's fine, Popstar, you didn't ruin anything."  
  
Patton only seemed to cry harder at that.  
  
"You should've seen his face! He looked so _sad_ , Virge. I never want him to look that sad ever again!"  
  
"Well, ok, maybe we over did it a _little_ ," Roman conceded reluctantly. Virgil glared as Patton wailed louder into his shoulder.  
  
"Not _helping,_ Princey," he said through gritted teeth.  
  
Logan, mercifully, decided to distract the Moral Side.  
"Patton, would your cake not be cool enough to decorate, now?"  
  
Patton pulled away from Virgil, much to the Anxious Side's relief.  
  
"That's right!" He turned to face the rest of them, determined. "We can't give up yet! We can still save this!"  
  
"But no one was giving up..." Logan trailed off. Patton was already distracted.  
  
Together, they all iced the cake, before summoning their respective presents and heading over to Janus' room.  
  
-  
  
"Janus, kiddo?" A call came from behind the door.  
  
Janus groaned, peeling open his crusty eyes. He rubbed them slightly, before walking over to open the door, not caring what kind of a state he was in.  
  
Apparently, it was a bad one, considering all the others' reactions. Patton looked like he was about to cry, Virgil was giving him a sad smile, Roman looked like Janus was causing him physical pain, Remus had an uncharacteristically sombre look on his face, and even Logan's brows were furrowed in worry.  
  
"Oh, sweetie..." Patton whispered. "I'm so sorry. We got so carried away in making sure that you didn't find out what we were planning, that we ended up hurting you."

Virgil nodded in agreement at Patton's words.  
"I'm sorry too, Jan. I was supposed to be the one distracting you, but someone-" he glared at Remus. "Forgot which gemstone was your favourite, so I had to conduct an emergency rescue."  
  
Roman tutted, shaking his head. He placed a hand on Janus' cheek, wiping away makeup and tears.  
  
"This won't do," he muttered under his breath. "This won't do at all."  
  
He nudged Janus through the threshold of the door, beckoning the others with him. He took Janus by the shoulders, guiding him to sit on the bed. He kneeled in front of him.  
  
"Where do you keep your makeup, Lyin' King?" He asked. Janus wordlessly pointed at the black box on his vanity. Roman nodded, standing up and carefully looking through said box.  
  
"Virgil, would you mind...?" He gestured at Janus' face. The Side in question laughed, summoning a pack of makeup wipes with a wave of his hand.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
He kneeled in front of Janus, just as Roman had done, and gently wiped the ruined makeup from Janus' face. He pulled back after a few moments.  
  
"There," he said. "All gone. Now, we can see your pretty face again, Jan."  
  
Roman had returned from sifting through Janus' makeup collection now, and deposited an array of items on the bed. He summoned what looked like one of his own eyeshadow palettes. Together, he and Virgil began to work on the human side of Janus' face, meticulously applying makeup and conveniently blocking Janus' view of the mirror. Eventually, after several "that's not right"s on Roman's part and a couple of "oh, how pretty"s on Patton's, the pair finally finished their work. Before Janus could shove past them to look in the mirror, Virgil blocked his view again.   
  
"Shut your eyes, Jan," he was ordered. Janus complied.  
  
Warm hands took his own, and he was guided towards the mirror on his vanity. Just as he was about to open his eyes, something cold and mildly heavy was placed around his neck.  
  
"Ok, you can open them now."  
  
He opened his eyes, and barely suppressed a gasp. His eye looked beautiful. Roman had expertly blended together all the colours of the rainbow, and Janus could recognise the way the wing was drawn as being Virgil's. There was subtle shine as his eye caught the light.  
  
His eyes wandered down to the item around his neck, and lump formed in his throat, prohibiting speech. It was a simple pendant, with a snake in the shape of a 'J'. Near the top of the snake's head was a tiny yellow stone - a topaz.  
  
"It's so beautiful," Janus choked finally, as he examined it in the mirror. Roman perked up.  
  
"Really?" He asked, apprehensively.   
  
"Course it is. It's the most stunning thing I've ever seen."  
  
"Well, that's good," Remus chimed. "Me and Ro spent hours making it."  
  
Janus whipped around.  
"Is that what you were doing in the Imagination?"  
  
Remus nodded.  
"Jan, we would never just _forget_ your birthday."  
  
He reached out, enveloping Janus in a tight hug, careful not to destroy Janus' new makeup. Patton squealed, clapping his hands.  
  
"Me next! Me next!" He pulled a pale blue gift bag out of nowhere and thrust it into Janus' hands.  
  
Janus pulled a weighted snake stuffie out of the bag. It was all yellow, had black buttons for eyes, and looked like it had been handmade.  
  
"I made it myself," Patton said quietly, confirming his suspicions. "It's filled with wheat, so you can put it in the microwave, and it'll keep you warm! Remus said you struggled a bit with the cold, so..." He trailed off, looking at the ground timidly. "Do you like it?"  
  
Janus threw his arms around Patton in lieu of response. The Side hummed happily, returning the embrace. Eventually, Patton pulled away, motioning for Logan to come forward.  
  
"Your turn, Lo!"  
  
The Side adjusted his tie in an almost nervous manner, before holding out a neatly wrapped blue present.  
  
"Mine goes, hand-in-hand, so to speak, with Patton's gift," he swallowed. "And, uh, for what it's worth, I apologise for turning you down earlier today. I had been wrapping your present when you knocked. 

The package was squishy in Janus' hands. He unwrapped it, pulling out a yellow blanket... with a wire?  
  
"It's electric," Logan explained, as Janus turned it over in his hands. "I had overheard a comment of a similar nature from Virgil, and thought that, perhaps, this might make your winters marginally more managable."  
  
Janus quietly placed the blanket and stuffie down on the bed.  
  
"Can I give you a hug?" he asked the Logical Side. Logan blinked, as if he wasn't expecting such a response.  
  
"Yes, you may," he replied, after a moment.  
  
Janus wrapped his arms tentatively around Logan's shoulders, giving the Side a tight squeeze before letting go. A purple present was suddenly shoved into his line of sight.  
  
"Just open it, Jan," Virgil muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.  
  
Janus obeyed, perplexed. The present was very obviously a mug, given the shape, but, as he opened it, Janus swore he stopped breathing for a moment.

It wasn't just any mug. It was _The_ Mug.  
  
"Remember that mug of yours that I broke, right before I left?" Virgil asked quietly. Janus could only nod.  
  
"Well, I lied when I said I threw away the pieces. I knew it was important to you, so I fixed it."  
  
The mug itself looked to be nothing special, just a plain white one with a badly drawn snake on the front, but to Janus, it meant the world. Virgil himself had painted the snake on the mug when they were younger, and had given it to Janus as a birthday present.  
  
The mug had been broken, just as their friendship had been, fell from the cabinet during one of his and Virgil's more... aggressive arguments. Janus thought he would never see it again.  
  
Virgil seemed to take his prolonged silence as negative, and backtracked hurriedly.  
  
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, you hate it, don't you? This is probably bringing up so many bad memories, I didn't even think about-"  
  
Janus hastily placed the mug on his vanity, before wrapping Virgil in a tight hug, effectively cutting off the Side's rant.  
  
"Shut up, Virgil," he muttered into his neck. After a moment of hesitation, the hug was reciprocated just as tightly.  
  
"Yeah, shut up, Virgil!" Remus echoed, making everyone laugh.  
  
They stood like that for several minutes, revelling in the reparation of their old friendship. Out of the corner of his eye, Janus saw Roman jerk his head up to look at the ceiling, blinking rapidly. Virgil pulled away from the embrace, and they both watched him, confused.

"Roman, what are you doing?" Virgil asked slowly, as if afraid to know the answer.  
  
"Need to cry, but my foundation was forty eight dollars!"  
  
Janus didn't think he'd ever laughed harder in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Thank you for giving this fic a shot! 
> 
> Take care of yourselves <3


End file.
